Kevin Spacey describes himself as 'a big flirt' as he testifies in sexual offence trial

Kevin Spacey described himself as "a big flirt" as he took to the witness stand in his sexual offence trial on Thursday.

The American Beauty star gave testimony in his defence in Southwark Crown Court as part of the ongoing trial, which concerns 12 charges of sexual assault, indecent assault and causing a person to engage in sexual activity without consent.

On the stand, Spacey, 63, denied grabbing a man's crotch "aggressively" while he drove him to a showbiz party in the early 2000s.

He told the court that he touched the complainant in a "romantic" and "intimate" way, adding, "I'm a big flirt."

According to LBC, the Oscar-winning actor described the man as "funny and charming and flirtatious" and admitted he "liked" him "a great deal" and they "enjoyed each other's company".

"I can't remember specific conversations we had but I remember the tone, I remember the atmosphere, I remember the laughter," he said. "We had a very fun time together."

Spacey insisted that he did not escalate the situation with the man because he "made it clear that he did not want to go any further and that happens at times, and you just respect how far someone wants to go".

He also denied that he almost caused the alleged victim to drive off the road by grabbing his crotch, alleging, "That never happened. I was not on a suicide mission on any of those years."

Elsewhere in his testimony, the House of Cards star told the court that he has been going through files in his storage facilities in London and Baltimore, Maryland to help him pinpoint where he was at the time the alleged offences occurred.

Spacey has pleaded not guilty to all 12 charges, which relate to four men in their 20s and 30s and alleged incidents which occurred between 2001 and 2013.

The trial continues.